HOUSTON and LOS ANGELES, July 17, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Theatrics.com, LLC, an interactive media company today announced its collaboration with Milwaukee-based writer Lisa Walker England for Aurelia: Edge of Darkness, a steampunk-fantasy interactive web drama officially debuting online today. Inspired by England's illustrated steampunk-fantasy serial Rise of the Tiger, the show invites anyone to create and develop a character to help tell Aurelia's story. Over the course of twelve weeks, fans will bring the city of Aurelia to life by taking on the role of its citizens using Theatrics' collaborative video communication platform. Their video posts will drive the ongoing story.

"Creating the world of Aurelia has been a labor of love. To be able to share it in such a unique way with fans through Theatrics is beyond amazing," said creator and showrunner, Lisa Walker England. "People keep telling me what a brilliant storytelling model this is, and I keep telling them, 'thank Theatrics!' I think fans will agree that this is without a doubt, the way Aurelia is meant to be experienced."

"By collaborating with Lisa England, Theatrics was able to build upon the concept she created for Aurelia and transform it into a unique storytelling experience, making it possible for anyone to participate," said Biff Van Cleve, CEO of Theatrics.com. "Aurelia: Edge of Darkness is a perfect fit for Theatrics' video communication platform, and we look forward to seeing fans immerse themselves in the series and show off their creativity."

Aurelia: Edge of Darkness follows the citizens of a self-sustaining, steam-powered city as they battle a deadly energy crisis. Each week, fans will receive new calls to action that invite them to react to plot twists and tell the story from their character's unique point of view. Fans are also encouraged to post photos of the costumes, sets and props they are developing for their character to Facebook and Twitter with the hashtags #aurelia, #aureliaspoilers or #aureliaprops.

The story of Aurelia: Edge of Darkness begins after the once-utopian plains of Aurelia were transformed into a cold, uninhabitable wasteland, fit only for monsters and the almost dead. The citizens have been forced to flee to a central mountain where they have built a fortress and named it Aurelia after their lost home. Inside its walls, their civilization has flourished through scientific inventions and the power of steam, but now, Aurelia faces a serious energy shortage. If the city's boilers fall silent, another paradise will fade into Darkness. As fans take on the personas of Aurelia's citizens, they must overcome political intrigue, social unrest, and strange magical happenings to find a new source of power... before the lights go out, forever. View the series intro video here: http://www.theatrics.com/aurelia/video/Zohr and follow Ms. England's ongoing showrunner process at her blog: http://enteraurelia.com/

Theatrics.com, LLC is an interactive media company that has developed a cloud-based platform enabling collaborative video communication within entertainment, B2B, and B2C environments. The software allows managers to create their own media-sharing site and open it to other users to upload videos, stills, and text while maintaining full control over the process. Regardless of the end use, Theatrics' tools encourage user involvement in the creative process while leaving control with the storyteller or manager. Via its video storytelling platform, Theatrics makes it possible for creators, from individuals to major corporations, to collaborate with their online audience to create interactive content by engaging their audience – customers, employees, fans, and audience members – in user generated content creation. Theatrics recently partnered with USA Network for the launch of PSYCH The S#cial Sector, Pemberley Digital for Welcome to Sanditon, the highly anticipated sequel to the hit web series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and produced its first series, Beckinfield, as proof of concept. For more information, please visit: www.theatrics.com.

About Lisa Walker England

Lisa Walker England is an independent multi-platform storyteller specializing in boundary-pushing blends of fantasy and steampunk. In addition to her debut serial Rise of the Tiger and its spin-off Aurelia: Edge of Darkness, Ms. England writes horror, fantasy, and science fiction graphic novels at City Beast Studio and architects brand narratives at Flipeleven Creative, a digital agency. In her spare time Ms. England blogs at JourneyCraft and is working on two new novels: a sequel to Rise of the Tiger and a clockpunk-inspired fantasy.